The Chicago Foreign Language Press Survey was published in 1942 by the Chicago Public Library Omnibus Project of the Works Progress Administration of Illinois. The purpose of the project was to translate and classify selected news articles that appeared in the foreign language press from 1855 to 1938. The project consists of 120,000 typewritten pages translated from newspapers of 22 different foreign language communities of Chicago.

Illinois Staats-Zeitung --
August 12, 1878

Woman Labor

Among the remedies for all ailments of human society, which in the socialist apothecary's shop, occupy as prominent a place as Spir. Frumenti, Spir. Vin. Gall, or Spir. Junip. in the average American Drug Store, is the abolition of woman labor in the factories. This demand comes, as a matter of fact, immediately after the eight hour working day.

How much reason for this exists in America, we are not able to determine. But, if conditions as we have them before our eyes in the West, prevail over the whole country, then the employment of married women in factories is so extremely rare that it hardly plays an appreciable role. It always has been America's fame and pride that here the married women, even of the poorest laboring class, devotes herself exclusively to her household and is not forced, as in England, Germany and Austria, through work in field or factories, to prejudice her duties as wife and mother.

But different from the case of the married women, is that of the girls, Of them 2thousands and thousands stampede the factories, naturally those where the work is easy. But if it is this girl labor, which the socialistic world physicians are trying to abolish, they will have to fight it out above all with the girls, themselves. Because they have no inclination to regard themselves as "miserable white slaves," or as female proletarians, needing deliverance.

As housemaide they could have a much more healthful and much more profitable occupation, but they reject this with disdain. Hence, while since the great crash, all other wages went down in proportion to the slowing up of the economic process, the wages of housemaids not only remained at their former level, but in many cases still continued to rise.

Among all people in this country who earn their livelihood through work, nobody is so "independent", so much the master, yes, quite often the tyrant of his employers, as is the housemaid.

If the socialists with their passion against industrial women-labor could 3induce those hundred thousands of girls who prefer "factory slavery" to housework, to acknowledge the "true female profession," that means by assistance in the household, to perfect themselves in their art, they would be doing a great favor to hundreds of thousands of "employers" (housewives).

But, if by any chance, they should declare domestic service as degrading, and then still would insist on abolishing woman factory labor, then the effect of all their endeavors (whatever their intention) would be nothing else but the promotion of prostitution.